


empty when you go

by argentumlupine



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Aftercare, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 23:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/627801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumlupine/pseuds/argentumlupine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's not sure which of them needs the contact more, at the moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	empty when you go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [akamine_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/akamine_chan/gifts).



> Written for [The Pan-Fandom Aftercare Fest](http://ragingrainbow.dreamwidth.org/34883.html).
> 
> Title from _The World Is Ugly_ by My Chemical Romance.

"So good, baby," Alicia purrs, running her fingers through Mikey's hair. He shudders, his breathing harsh as he presses his face against her thigh. "You did so well. How do you feel?"

Mikey shudders again and doesn't respond. Alicia can feel tears against her leg and has a moment of panic that she took things too far. But she can't let herself panic, not when Mikey needs her. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before kneeling down. "Okay, baby, it's okay," she whispers, pulling Mikey into a hug. He buries his face in her shoulder and she just holds him, whispering reassurances, gently rubbing the back of his neck, until he stops trembling. She reaches around him to untie his hands and feet, then hugs him again. She's not sure which of them needs the contact more, at the moment. "Are you okay? What do you need?" she asks.

His voice comes out raspy, but he's talking to her. It's a start. "I'm okay. That was just… intense."

She pulls back a bit and tips his chin up. He still looks dazed, wrecked. She wipes the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs, cradling his face in her hands. She tips her forehead down to press against his. "What do you need?" she repeats. He blinks a couple of times before his eyes focus on her. "Tell me, baby. Please."

"I'm cold. Knees hurt."

Alicia kisses his cheek, then gently pulls on his elbows until he stands. He winces as he straightens his legs and staggers a little until she slips an arm around his waist to support him. After a bit, Mikey seems more sure on his feet. "Okay now?" she asks. When he nods, she leads him to the bathroom. "Stay there," she says, and he does, standing very still on the mat while she cleans him up and murmurs to him, _so proud, so proud, so good for me, didn’t mean to scare you, love you so much, so proud of you_. 

Mikey doesn't say anything, barely moves unless she moves him, though he does drink the glass of water she puts in his hand. Alicia can see his muscles relaxing and he's breathing normally now, which makes her feel better, but when she goes into the closet to get Mikey's robe, she still has to stand there for a minute, shaking out her hands to make them stop trembling. Mikey's okay. _They're_ okay. She didn't go too far. She didn't screw up. _Get it together_ , she tells herself, and grabs Mikey's fluffy blue robe off its hook.

Mikey gives her a reassuring smile over his shoulder when she helps him put on the robe. She pushes him to sit down on the toilet, then turns to pull the first aid kit out from under the sink. When she turns back around, she laughs because Mikey has pulled his socks out of the robe's pockets and is holding them out to her with an expectant look on his face. 

"Impatient, aren't we?" she asks as she sits on the edge of the tub. His lips quirk. "You have some rope burn. Let me take care of that, _then_ you can have socks." She pats her lap. "Left foot." She takes care of his left ankle, then his right, and puts his socks on before she bandages his wrists. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah." 

She brushes his hair back from his forehead and lifts an eyebrow at him. "Really really?"

"Really really."

She ruffles his hair. "All right, then. Wash your face and go curl up on the couch. I’ll be there in a minute. Tea or juice?"

"Juice. Do we have apple?"

Alicia kisses his forehead, smiling a little at his overly-hopeful expression. She knows he's making that goofy face for her benefit. God, she loves him. "Of course we have apple, silly. You want me to let the kids in?"

"Please."

Alicia opens the basement door on her way into the kitchen, smiling when Piglet and Bunny make a mad dash down the hall. By the time Alicia returns with the juice, Mikey's on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table and Bunny is standing on his lap, her front paws on his chest and her head pushed under his chin, purring for all she's worth. 

Alicia settles on the arm of the couch and hands Mikey the juice, then pets his hair while he drinks. "You want to talk to me about the tears?" she asks.

"Not yet."

She's not surprised. He never wants to talk right away, always needs time to settle and think things over for himself first. She won't push him. "Let me know when, okay?" 

When Mikey hands her the empty glass, she sets it on the coffee table, then sits down beside him on the couch. He looks alert, seems to be okay, and she relaxes a little. She cuddles against him, lays her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes when he slips an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"Do you need anything?" he asks. 

"This," she says. _And to know what went wrong_ , she doesn't say. She needs to hear it, but he can't tell her right now. She can wait. 

His arm tightens around her briefly. "I love you," he says, and kisses the top of her head.

"I love you, too." She twines her fingers with his and closes her eyes, feeling the gentle shift of his muscles as he pets the cat. Until he talks to her, she's not going to fully relax, but for right now, this is enough.


End file.
